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(No Model.) 2 Sheefis-Sheet 2.

'T. J. MULLINGS.

WOOL WASHING MACHINE.

No. 285,831. Patented 0m. 2, 1883.

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PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. MULLINGS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

WOOL-WASHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 285,831, dated October 2, 1883.

Application filed January 26, 1883. (N model.) Patented in England May 1, 1882, No. 2,051 in Germany December 5, 1882, No. 722,392; in Belgium December 6, 1882, No. 59,760, and in France December7, 1882, No. 152,485.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS J OHN MULL- INGS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Applicable to Machinery Employed in WVashing Tool and other Fibers, (for which Letters Patent have been granted to myself and William \Vhiteley in Great Britain, no. 2,051, bearto ing date May 1, 1882, and sealed October 31,

1882,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to machinery employed in washing wool and other fibers. In this class of machines reciprocating forks are I 5 employed for feeding or working the wool forward from the feeding end to the delivery end; and in practice it is found that as some kinds of wool require more washing than others, two or more machines are required to be placed end to end, so that the fiber is fed forward by a traveling apron from the delivery end of the first machine into the feeding end of the second machine, and from the second to the third machine, by which time, if the wool be not 2 5 cleansed of its impurities, it has to be carried back to the feeding end of the first machine,

and the operation repeated.

Theobject of my invention is to construct and arrange apparatus which shall receive the wool. from the delivery end of the machine 4oward over the machine and drop it into the feeding end, where it is again worked forward by the reciprocating forks to the other end of the machine, and this is done as many times as is required to cleanse the wool. \Vhen the wool is sufficiently clean and ready to leave the machine, one of the traveling aprons is lowered from contact with the other one, so that instead of the wool being carried back ward to the feeding end again, it is allowed to leave the machine. By these means only one machine is required to cleanse the wool, instead of two or more. Consequently cost,-room, and power are. considerably reduced, while the fiber is better preserved by being allowed to leave the machine immediately the proper condition is attained.

In order that my invention may be more distinctly understood, I herein give reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings, illustrative thereof.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wool-washing machine, and Fig. 2 is a front end elevation thereof. Figs. 3 and 4 are details.

A is the ordinary cistern or trough wherein the wool is first washed, being introduced at the end B and carried forward by the usual reciprocating series of forks,(), until it reaches the delivery or squeezing rollers D. Instead of passing forward to a second machine, the wool on reaching the delivery-rollers travels up the endless sheet E, from which it is transferred to the sheet F, which carries it back to the feeding end of the machine, and this operation may be repeated any number of times without disturbing, entangling, or felting the fibers. hen the wool has been sufficiently washed, the roller 0 is lowered to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and the wool, instead of being transferred to the sheet F, is removed from the machine.

The endless sheets E and F are mounted as follows: The sheet E passes round the rollers a, I), and c, which are mounted in parallel bearings, the roller 0 being carried in arms (I, which are fixed upon the shaft e, the roller (1 running loose thereon. On the shaft 0 is also fixed a catch-wheel, f, and a handle or spider, g, by means of which the sheet E may be raised into contact with the sheet F, or lowered therefrom, as may be required, being retained in either position by the catch H. The sheet F passes over the series of rollers J, all of which are mounted in stationary bearings. K is a roller mounted in 1ever-ar1ns.L, for preserving the tension of the sheet E when the wool is leaving the machine, the pressure being regulated by the springs M. \Vhen, as above stated, the endless sheet E is lowered away from the sheet F, (see Fig. 4,) the wool is by this change of position of the sheets prevented, as it passes from the squeezing-rolls, from being pressed between the sheets E and F, but is left free to be carried away and discharged by the sheet E alone; but when, as previously stated, the arms (I are swung up to the position shown in Fig. 1, the two sheets or belts are brought into closer proximity, holding the wool between them.

Having thus described the nature of my in- "ention, I would have it understood that what I claim is- In a machine for washing wool and other fibers, the combination of the two endless belts E and F, arranged substantially as shown, and means whereby the power may be swung into or out of cooperative action with the latter, the combination permitting the material to be, at option, either ejected from the delivery end of the machine or to be carried back to its receiving end.

THOS. J. MULLTNGS.

Vitnesses S. F. REDFERN, F. PRICE. 

